The Attorney Generals of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, along with 5 other states have filed suits versus the Trump Administration to block efforts to what it alleges are efforts to punish jurisdictions that did not agree to what are termed immigration-related conditions on federal law enforcement grants.

The suit was file this week in the U.S. District Court for he Southern District of New York, the A.G's of the Commonwealth and Rhode Island argue that the Trump Administration's conditions on the grants are interfering with the rights of states and cities to set the grants are interfering with the rights of states and cities to set their own law enforcement policies and the Department of Justice lacks the legal authority to impose new conditions are how funds are used.

At issue are some 25 million federal dollars in Edward Byrnbe Memorial Justice Assistance Grants for fiscal year 2017. The Trump Administration is asking states to allow federal agents access to correctional facilities, to question immigrants, along with giving advance notice of an immigrants scheduled release date.